Dead Meat
''Dead Meat ''by Chris & Patrick Williams is an free serial novel sponsored by Permuted Press about the infestation of zombies in the small town of River’s Edge. ''Dead Meat ''chronicles the journey of two survivors–Gavin and Benny–as the town of River’s Edge falls to pieces around them. The destruction of River’s Edge begins with an influx of rodents and “rabies” cases leading to a quarantine of the city. Those who remain in town are attacked and fed upon by packs of the living dead. Labeling the infected residents “bees” for their tendency to travel in swarms, Gavin and Benny must do their best to survive the chaos in River’s Edge while making their way north in search of sanctuary. No one knows what waits outside River’s Edge, but Gavin and Benny know that to survive, they must escape. Chapters Prologue Benny Maverick Back on the roof, they listen to Maverick's show. He explains that he has been on the air for three days as twenty or so rabid people swarm outside his studio. He expresses contempt at the government, who he has formed a conspiracy against, and shows doubt that what the town is being attacked with is rabies. He also mentions that they have been getting reports that they are not the only small town with an issue. Afterword, he begins a segment of the show in which he posts a scenario, and that a listener calling in has to survive. He asks what caller one, a man called Blake would do if he was sitting idol at a red light and three or four of the monsters tried to attack him. Blake loses due to his belief that lyanthropy is a sexually transmitted disease, and Maverick goes on to the next caller, Pete, who says that he would run a few of them over with his car and then beat them with his son's baseball bat. Maverick says that he wins, and Pete is awarded tickets to see Gwar for the weekend. Next, another man, Steven, calls in, saying that the police had shut down the only two roads out of the town, Crooks Bridge and Sparrows Nest. He and Maverick both suggest that River's Edge is under quarantine. To "set the mood" for "what is to come," Maverick goes on to play "It's the End of the World" by R.E.M. Tonight's Entertainment While Benny and Gavin are listening, they here one of the ghouls banging on the shop window below them, and, turning down the radio, they look down from the roof and see a diseased woman banging the glass with a rock. It finally breaks and she falls in, cutting herself viciously on the shards of glass. After several minutes, they decide she is dead. Benny suggests the leave town, but Gavin reminds him that the town is surrounded by 70 miles of woods and the two Realizing they need more supplies, Benny decides they had a few miles away from where they are now, to a store called Wonder Mart. Deciding to go to that store and then take a nearby river out of town, the men are surprised to hear a noise from below. Looking back to the ground below, they see the woman has gotten back up, skin sliding off and bowels falling out. Terrified, Benny orders that they leave the town now, knowing that something messed up is going on. Fido While walking down the road, hoping to get to Wonder Mart, Gavin and Benny spot an old dog, which is ran over by a speeding truck being chased by the monsters. They fall witness as the driver walks out, shoots the beasts, and runs off. Grab-N-Go Benny and Gavin are raiding a store called Wonder Mart, from which they take weapons and basic supplies. Benny sees seven of the monsters outside, one without legs, simply pulling itself along. Benny, in an emotional conflict, violently kills the advancing monsters, which Gavin has nicknamed "bees," due to their tendency to travel in swarms. Welcome the Swarm Benny purposefully attracts more bees to kill while in a state of rage, but soon finds himself under attack by them, while Gavin is too horrorstruck to help. In Gavin We Trust? Benny was wounded while attacking them, and yells at Gavin for making him the bait, saying that next time it will be Gavin who attacks them, with no help from him. They leave the Wonder Mart, and find a picturesque neighborhood. The break into one of the abandon homes, looking for shelter, but see numerous bees outside, which Benny sends Gavin to kill by himself. Insecticide While Gavin is overpowered by the advancing attackers, Benny finds a car in the houses garage and plans to leave him for dead, before he has a change of heart and rescues Gavin, who punches him for trying to leave. Controversy, Cattle Prods, and a Handle of Beam Benny turns on the car radio, and the two hear Maverick saying that the government has quarantined the town, shutting off much of its power and trying to prevent people from leaving. Invasion As the pair come closer to escaping the town, they come across a military checkpoint and witness soldiers killing an escaping family. Realizing that they won't be able to leave, Benny and Gavin abandon the car, and break in to a nearby diner, where they are attacked by a woman named Maria who mistakes them for bees or soldiers, and whose knee Benny breaks. The woman lets them stay at her diner for the night and, in return, Gavin promises that, when they escape the town, they'll let her come with them. Drinks Are on the House Looking out through the diner windows, while drinking liquor from Maria's bar, the now-trio see more soldiers exterminate both bees and people. Baggage Maria tells Benny and Gavin about a path in the nearby woods which leads to a shallow river they could cross to escape the town, so Gavin carries her on his back to the opening in the treeline, through which they hope to escape. Slaughter on a Riverbank Benny and Gavin leave Maria at a safe distance with the supplies so they can check out the riverbank, where they fall witness to a gaurd killing a family trying to escape. Benny goes back to get Maria, but only comes back with her bags. Dead Meat, Dead Weight Benny says that the bees got Maria, but Gavin accuses him of her murder, which he denies. Later, Gavin reads a newspaper they picked up earlier, which claims the town had been succesfully evacuated. When finished, they finally decide to go through the river sleuthily. A Poke and a Nudge They make it to the other side of the river, out of the town, only to see another bee outside, crushed under the weight of a four-wheeler but still alive. Upset that the bees have escaped River's Edge, Gavin grotesquely kills the bee. Knock Knock Gavin and Benny camp in the woods, and while Benny sleeps Gavin is keeping watch. Deciding to leave temporarly, he explores the nearby area, and is surprised to find a house. The next day, Gavin leads Benny, angry that he was left alone in the dead of night, to the house, and Gavin knocks on the door only to be shot in the hand by the door opener. Old Man Rickett He is nearly killed by an old man, who claims that they were sent from the mills to attack his land, but explain they were only looking for help, and show him the newspaper. He introduces himself as Rickett and fixes up Gavin's hand, as well as giving them a meal and letting them stay the night. Rickett's Logic Rickett talks with them, reasoning that something was out of the ordinary with what was going on in the town, as well as suggesting a government cover up. He later shows them to an extra bedroom and lets them spend the night. The next day, Rickett wakes them up, saying he saw a bee outside the cabin. He gives his gun to Benny and tells him to kill it. Pulling Triggers When Benny tells Rickett he is unable to fire a gun, Rickett teaches them how and kills the bee himself. He expresses concern for his sister and her family, and gives Benny and Gavin one of his trucks, ordering them to drive to the nearby town of Brightmoor. He takes the other truck to go find his sister, and says that, if Benny and Gavin don't find him in Brightmoor in 24 hours to go on without him. On the Road Benny and Gavin drive toward Brightmoor, and on the way there, Benny stops to practice shooting some bees. They learn that the only way to kill a bee is to shoot its head. This is the End, My Friends Maverick does his last show.